LAW 80
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LAW 80 |
The
LAW 80 (Light Anti-armour Weapon 80) is a man-portable one-shot disposeable
anti-tank weapon in used by the
British Army. It entered British service in 1987 replacing the
L14A1 84 mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle and
M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (known in British service as "Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1") anti-tank weapons, and is scheduled to be replaced by the next generation top-attack
MBT LAW.
The weapon consists of an extendable launch tube with an integrated 9 mm spotting rifle and 1× sight. The spotting rifle has five rounds of ammunition, and is ballistically matched to the rocket. The rounds it uses are quite unusual, consisting of a 9 mm tracer bullet loaded in a necked up
7.62 × 51 mm NATO shell casing, with a
.22 Hornet blank mounted in the base of the larger case, providing the propellant charge. Upon firing, the .22 cartridge case sets back out of the 7.62 mm casing, unlocking the breech of the spotting rifle in what could be termed a form of
primer actuation.
To launch the rocket the firer removes the large protective end caps and entended the rear of the launch tube, opens the sight, and moves the arming lever to "armed". The weapon is then in spotting rifle mode, to fire the rocket, the firer moves a charge lever forward with his firing hands thumb. The rocket motor burns out before it leaves the launch tube, the resulting blast being directed rearwards from the launch tube. In effect it is a
recoilless rifle. The rocket then coasts to the target, arming itself after it has passed a certain arming distance. The warhead is a
HEAT shaped charge and can reportedly penetrate 700 mm of armour.
*Contractor:
Hunting Engineering.
*Effective range: 20 m to 500 m
*Fuze:
Piezo-electric impact fuze, scrub and foliage proof
*Launcher length: (firing mode) 1.5 m
*Launcher length: (carrying mode) 1 m
*Projectile weight: 4.6 kg
*Dispersion: approx 1 mil
*Carrying weight: 10 kg
*Calibre: 94 mm.
*Temperature range: -46 °C to +65 °C.
*Rear danger area: 20 m
*
Jordan*
Oman*
United KingdomThe spotting rifle from LAW 80 was used on the
USMC Mk.153 Mod.0 SMAW (Shoulder-Launcher Multipurpose Assault Weapon).
Addermine is an acoustic sensor system which utilises the LAW 80 as a
kill mechanism to create an off-route mine. It can also be command detonated from up to 200 m away.
*
British Army*
www.armedforces.co.uk*
Information on spotting rifle cartridge*
Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006*
Jane's Infantry Weapons 1991-1992
